OmniAction is a new global organisation dedicated to measuring the social, health and sustainability impacts of the food system. It will create a science-based, verified and independent framework which will be made available as a public good to everyone working – and consuming – across food and agriculture
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The official launch event will be held via a Zoom video conference at 4pm GMT on January 27th 2022. Those wishing to attend should sign up via this Eventbrite link.
Co-founder Tim Lang, Emeritus Professor at City University, London, says, “Poor nutrition should not be a trade-off for causing less damage to the environment; just as poor labour rights, land tenure, or food safety should not have to be traded off – we need to examine all these impacts.
“I first proposed a multi-criteria approach to food standards more than a decade ago, and now the technology makes it possible.
“It’s time to create a global, harmonised framework for food metrics which can act as a resource for the entire food system.”
OmniAction co-founder Anya Doherty, CEO of Foodsteps, says, “We need a North Star in sustainability benchmarking for food.
“It’s too easy for companies at the moment to game their credentials on food labels, particularly regarding environmental impact. We see it almost every day.
“We need a framework agreeing which impacts will be accounted for, and then we need to provide guidance to monitor those impacts.”
OmniAction co-founder and executive director Lise Colyer also leads editorial at Quota.Media. She adds, “One third of all greenhouse gas emissions are from agrifood; experts describe the supply chain as plagued by child and forced labour; and poor and inadequate food is the biggest killer in the world. There’s an urgency to this.
“Every CEO is experiencing direct or indirect pressure around sustainability and ESG reporting.”
United Nations scientific experts have said the true impacts of the food system, including poor labour rights and environmental practices, cost society twice the value of the sector – US$19.8 trillion. This was emphasised in the True Value of Food report published by the Food Reform for Sustainability & Health project of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
OmniAction will curate ongoing data improvements, iterating toward a full framework addressing environmental impact, labour rights, land sovereignty, food safety and nutrition.
This will foster a consumer environment which progresses health and sustainability. And this in turn will foster changes in the industry and policy environments.